What Does ‘Making An Impact’ Look Like In Action?

“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.” – Jay Asher

Recently I had the honour of attending the Samasource Give Work Gala in San Francisco on behalf of 360 as the company was being recognized for our efforts in Haiti. In case you are not familiar with Samasource, they are a non-profit organization that connects women and youth living in poverty to dignified work via technology.

While I was extremely proud to be part of winning this award, the true “impact” of the award didn’t hit me until after the Gala.

As a company, 360’s efforts in Haiti started back in 2012, when we started to discuss models of how to bring the fulfillment of our third commitment to a new level. Our company’s third founding principle is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of our employees and clients alike, articulated as “in the world, to make a difference.” We constantly strive to deliver a best-in class product, unbelievable experience for our customers, and an unbelievable work environment but making a difference in the world can be a little tougher measure sometimes. Our work with Samasource has enabled us to do that in a big, meaningful way.

As our customer list grew, so did the daily volume of processing claims. In order to maintain our high level of accuracy and unparalleled customer service, we began searching for cost-effective sources of labor that could process large numbers of claims and continue delivering the high quality of customer service our customers deserve.

That’s where Samasource came in – they are truly a premier “impact” sourcing provider – they train and pay the impoverished to complete enterprise level digital services. And their impact is truly unbelievable. To date they have impacted over 4,510 people. In turn, that has impacted close to 14,000 dependents as a result of their efforts.

But as I mentioned, I didn’t appreciate that level of “impact” until after the event. Recently I had a conversation with a recruiter who contacted me about an opportunity he was trying to fill. He described in detail the scope of the role, the company and compensation. He paused and asked if I had any questions?

So I asked him “what impact” would I have in the organization? He said “TONS” and went on to describing how I could play a key role in shaping process, company structure, key decision maker etc.

So I asked again “what impact could I make?” He hesitated slightly but answered very generically. So again I asked “what impact could I make?”. At that time – he was confused and said “I’m not sure I understand”.

I asked him did he know the company’s mission statement? Their core values or commitments? Had the company provided that level of detail? He said no, it didn’t come up in their conversation.

That brief conversation with the recruiter made me realize that not only could I answer all of those questions (mission statement, company commitments and core values), but I also could say that I work for a company where we can and have made an “impact”. Our efforts in Haiti have impacted the day-to-day lives of 14 people and that number more than triples when you factor in all of their dependents. While those numbers are not in the thousands – it doesn’t underscore the fact that we have made a positive impact on 14 people. All workers earn living waves, gain valuable skills, are able to support their families and even pay for education and healthcare, none of which would be possible without these jobs. Having a positive impact in a sometimes dark and negative world – no matter how big or small – is something to embrace and rejoice.

The Samasource Impact Awards has left a huge impression on me – to never underestimate the level of impact you can make in someone’s life.